How a walk in the woods changed my life
by Timothy.C
Summary: Dave is having a hard time with a song he's working on and takes a walk to clear his mind.


**Hello! I'm not dead! And here is a Dave/Vinny one shot to prove it.**

Dave Seville sat at his piano, in his small but cozy cabin just on the edge of the woods. He let out a groan when he hit a sour note.

"No... that's not right", he said aloud to himself while he adjusted the musical notes on the paper in front of him.

"Alright lets try this again...", he began to play again and the music filled the small living room.

The tune danced through the air and Dave began to recite the lyrics to himself quietly, "I told the witch doctor I was in love with you."

Dave hit a sour note again and released an angry sigh, "What am I doing wrong?"

He looked out one of the windows and took in the view of the late Autumn forest. He watched as the leaves fell from the trees and danced on the wind. _Maybe I just need to go for a walk. _

Dave closed the key cover on his piano and grabbed a jacket from the coat hanger. He quickly left his house and locked the door behind him.

With his hands tucked into his pockets, Dave began his walk through the woods. He observed the wild life forging and preparing for the coming Winter. He hummed to himself as he walked, trying to iron out the song he was working on.

"I know if I get this song just right it will be a hit", he had been working on this tune for a few weeks now and it just wouldn't fit together right. There was something missing, but Dave just couldn't put his finger on it.

Dave continued to walk until he caught a sound on the wind. It was the sound of someone singing. Dave was enchanted by the sound and began to move in the direction he guessed it was coming from.

Dave increased his speed as the sound got louder. He was sure now that it was a woman, but he still couldn't make out what she was singing.

The volume of the song increased and now Dave realized it was a lullaby. The sound enchanted Dave and he knew that he had to find the owner of such a voice.

Dave reached the source of the voice and came into a clearing where he found a tree with a small house built into it. A woman sat on the porch with three small babies wrapped up in blankets. She swayed back and forth gently on a rickety old porch swing while singing to the babies.

As Dave gazed at her he realized that she was not human but rather a chipmunk. Dave was taken back by this, he had never seen or even heard of a human like chipmunk before. Let alone one that could sing.

She had yet to notice him, as she was busy tending to her babies. Dave looked over her and became more curious the longer he looked. She was wearing a blue dress with a white trim. She had brown hair that hung just below her shoulders. Her body was covered in a light brown fur that was just a few shades lighter then caramel.

The chipette was holding one of the babies in her arms while the other two were next to her. She looked up and saw Dave. Her eyes went wide with fear.

Dave saw this and held up his hands, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I just heard singing and I had to find the owner of the voice."

She relaxed a little but held the baby in her arms tight, while never breaking eye contact with Dave.

Dave had no idea what to say. He didn't want to scare her anymore then he already had. He decided to start with a complement, "You have a wonderful voice."

"T...thank you", her voice was kind and gentle, but it was still laced with fear.

Dave was tying to think of a way to calm her down, "My name is David Seville, I live in the cabin that is on the edge of the woods", Dave pointed in the direction of his house.

"My name is Vinny. What brings you to this part of the woods?", she was skeptical of him still, but she was starting to calm down.

"Well I'm a song writer and I've been having trouble on my latest song. Its missing something and I can't quite get it. So I decided to take a walk to clear my mind and that's when I heard you singing and was drawn here", Dave smiled as he saw Vinny relax even more.

Vinny gently rocked the baby in her arms, "I've heard your music come through the woods. You're very good."

Dave blushed lightly at her complement, "Thank you. Where did you learn to sing?"

Vinny shrugged, "I taught myself."

Dave was impressed by her. A cold breeze blew by and Dave realized that the sun was setting. "I better go before it gets dark. Hopefully I'll see you around, maybe we can jam together some time."

"That might be fun. It was nice meeting you Dave", Vinny stood up and carefully lifted the other two babies into her arms and walked inside before the cold night set in.

Dave began to walk through the woods heading in the direction he thought would lead him to his house. _Maybe we can jam sometime? Is that the best I could come up with?, _Dave let out a sigh.

_She was really pretty for a chipmunk. Of course I don't have anything to compare to...,_Dave had been walking for a few minutes when he heard a loud thunder clap over head.

The heavens opened and it began to pour, "Great its dark, raining and I'm not sure I know how to get back to my house from here."

Dave put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and kept walking. The rain intensified and Dave soon found himself trudging through mud. _This is not going well. I should be home by now._

After passing a tree that he swore he passed already Dave decided to take a left turn in hopes of finding the path. When Dave turned his foot caught a very muddy patch of ground and his slipped. As he fell Dave noticed he had come full circle and was now back in the clearing where Vinny's tree house was. The last thing Dave saw before his head hit the root of a tree was Vinny feeding her tree babies.

When Dave woke up he found himself in a much too small bed with his head wrapped up in bandages. His head ached with a light pulsing as he looked around the sun lit room. He found three sets of small eyes watching him.

There were three little chipmunks sharing a small chair watching him, each with a different colored bonnet on their head, one red one blue and the last green. The one wearing blue had glasses while the one wearing green was slightly more pudgy then the other two.

"Momma, he's awake!", the one with glasses called out in a high pitched voice.

Dave found it odd that such young children could talk but then again he found it strange that chipmunks could talk at all.

The one with the red bonnet hopped off of the chair and walked over to the bed. "I bet your head is pounding isn't it?", he asked, his voice taking on the same high pitch of his brother.

Dave tried to remember what happened, but all he could recall was getting lost in the woods.

"Where am I?", Dave sat up while he talked and the blanket that was covering him fell to his waist and he realized that his was only wearing his underwear. Dave's cheeks took on a shade that matched the bonnet of the child closest to him.

"You're in my bed", a familiar voice came from the doorway.

Dave turned and saw Vinny walking into the small room, "Alvin, come away from there, give him some space."

The child let out a sigh and walked over to his siblings, "Yes, Momma."

Vinny sat on the edge of the bed and put the back of her paw to Dave's head, "How are you feeling?"

Her fur was very soft on his skin, "Good. Well except for the headache."

"I'm not surprised, after the fall you took last night. You were lucky I saw you hit your head and was able to get you inside before you caught a cold", she pulled her paw away and stood up.

"Are you hungry?", she examined the bandages on his head gently while she spoke.

As if on cue, Dave's stomach grumbled. He nodded.

"I'll bring you some berries", she slowly walked towards the door and Dave couldn't help but smile knowing she had cared of him.

Dave felt a cool autumn breeze dance through a window and across his naked chest and he was reminded he had no shirt on, "Um, where are my cloths?"

Vinny turned and pointed out the open window to a small cloths line where Dave's clothes swayed in the wind, "They were soaked when I brought you in and I couldn't very well leave you in them, you would have gotten sick."

Dave nodded, "Thank you, for saving me."

Vinny waved her hand in the air to dismiss Dave's statement, "Not at all. I was just doing the right thing."

Vinny left the small room and Dave once again found himself under the gaze of the three small chipmunks.

He waved at them, "Hi, I'm David Seville. What are your names?",

The one in red pointed to himself, "I'm Alvin." He pointed at the one with glasses, "That's Simon." He pointed to the chubby one next who was partially hiding behind Simon, "And that's Theodore. Don't mind him he's just a little shy."

Dave smiled softly at the boys, "It's nice to meet you all."

Theodore waved shyly from behind Simon. Vinny walked back into the room carrying a small wicker bowl filled with different colored berries. She walked over to the bed and sat the small bowl down on the bedside table, "It's not much but I think you'll like it better then the rest of our food."

The smell of the berries hit Dave's nose and his stomach rumbled again, "Thank you, Vinny."

She gave Dave a warm smile and began to head for the door, "Come on boys, it's time for breakfast."

Theodore practically knocked Simon out of the chair as he hopped off and ran to his mothers side. Alvin giggled at Simon as he adjusted his glasses, which earned him a glare from the glasses wearing chipmunk.

Dave had a small laugh to himself as the boys ran after their mother. _They have a strong bond. _He picked up the bowl and began to munch on the fruit inside.

Once everyone had eaten, Vinny brought Dave his clothes, which were now dry.

"Thank you again, for everything", Dave quickly pulled his pants on and stood up.

"Don't mention it. I'm sure if you saw someone lying helpless in the rain you would have taken them in as well", Dave caught Vinny looking at his bare chest. She looked away as soon as she saw he noticed her looking.

Dave couldn't help but smile as Vinny suddenly found the drapes very interesting. He pulled his shirt on and buttoned it up.

"Vinny, might I ask about the boys father?", Dave hopped he was not over stepping any boundaries.

Vinny seemed to tense at the question, "What do you want to ask?"

Dave decided to tread lightly, "Is he around?"

Vinny shook her head, "No. when he found out I was pregnant he left and I haven't seen him since."

Dave frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. We're doing great without him."

Dave found her strength admirable. Vinny turned and walked back over to the bed. Dave, trying to be courteous reached for the bowl she had brought him. Vinny reached for it at the same time and her paw landed on top of Dave's hand. She turned her head and their eyes met.

Dave couldn't bring himself to look away from her emerald eyes, though he wasn't trying that hard. The simply looked into each other's eyes until they heard a small thought being cleared. They both looked over to the doorway to see Alvin standing there with a grin from ear to ear.

Vinny quickly grabbed the bowl, "I better take this to the kitchen." She left the room, leaving Dave alone with Alvin.

The small chipmunk walked across the room and hopped up onto the bed, "You like my mom, I can tell."

Dave's cheeks began to warm up from his blush. "How can I? I just met her."

Alvin shrugged, "I don't know, I'm just a kid. But she seems to like you too."

_Do I? _Dave thought back on the few interactions he and Vinny had over the past day. Dave's blush deepened when he thought about their hands touching.

"Told ya", Alvin was grinning again as he watched Dave's cheeks grow more and more red.

Dave sat down on the bed next to Alvin and began to pull his socks on. The young chipmunk watched and put one of his paws on his hip, "You're leaving?"

"I need to get home and get back to work on my song. If I miss my deadline I won't be able to pay the rent", Dave pulled his shoes on and tied them.

Alvin's eyes lit up at the mention of music. The look Alvin had worried Dave, he couldn't put his finger on it but he had a feeling that look led to many headaches for Vinny, "You should ask Mom for help, she's really good with music."

Dave raised an eyebrow at the red clad child, "Aren't kids suppose to try and sabotage any of their parents potential relationships. Not push them together?"

Alvin let out a high pitched giggle, " Normally ya, but I like you and...", Alvin trailed off for a second before starting again in a much more serious tone, "And Mom's lonely. She doesn't talk about it but I've seen the look in her eyes when she thinks we can't see her."

Dave felt his heart sink as he watched the young chipmunk frown. He gave Alvin a gentle pat on the back, "Come on lets go talk to your mom about her coming over to my house and helping me."

Alvin's eyes lit up again and he nodded before he and Dave both made their way to the living room/ kitchen.

Dave took in the sight of the small room that served quiet a few purposes from what he could tell. In on corner there were three small cradles, each with a different colored blanket in it. Along one wall a few hand made cabinets lined the wall. Vinny stood in front of a bucket that Dave guessed was used as a sink.

In the center of the room there was a table, that looked like it had been carved from the tree itself, with five wooden stools around it.

Dave walked to the area that seemed to be a kitchen while Alvin ran over to his brothers, who were sitting near their beds and playing.

Dave nervously rubbed the back of his neck while he tried to piece together a sentence, " Vinny... I was thinking, seeing how you're very good at singing that maybe..."

Vinny turned around and looked him in the eyes, he emerald eyes held a expectant look.

Dave cleared his throat and started again, " Vinny, you have a wonderful talent for singing and I was wondering if you would like to come over to my house some time and help me work on a song." Dave held his breath while he waited for Vinny to answer.

Alvin watched and waited for his mother's response as well.

A smile spread across Vinny's face, "That sounds like it would be a lot of fun. How's Wednesday?"

Alvin smiled and went back to playing with his brothers.

Dave let out the breath he had been holding, "Wednesday sounds great. I've got to be going now so I'll see you then." Dave backed towards the door and waved to Vinny and the boys as he walked out the door.

The walk back to Dave's cabin was short when he could see the path. Once he was inside he took off his jacket and hung it up. He looked around the small room and realized it looked like a bachelor lived there. "This place is in no condition to have a women over...", Dave began to clean up.

A few days passed and before Dave knew it, it was Wednesday. He sat at his piano still tripping on the words to his song.

There was a small knock at the door and Dave quickly jumped up from his seat at the piano to answer it.

"Hello", Dave greeted the chipette as he opened the door.

Vinny seemed a bit nervous while she returned his greeting, "Hello." Vinny shivered a bit as the a cold end of Autumn wind blew past.

"Please come in out of the cold", Dave couldn't help but wonder if the small tree house would be warm enough for the cold winter ahead.

Vinny nodded and walked into the cabin, "Thank you."

Dave closed the door and they both stood in an awkward silence for a few moments until Dave thought of something to break the ice, "So who's watching the boys?"

"A friend of mine, she's great with them even though she's a squirrel", Vinny unwrapped the purple shawl that was around her shoulders and placed it on the coat rack by the door.

"Were you able to find the place without too much trouble?"

Vinny nodded again, "So what's this song that is giving you so much trouble?"

Dave gestured to the piano, "Come with me and I'll show you."

Dave and Vinny each took a seat at the bench in front of the piano. Dave handed Vinny the sheet music he had been working on and she read over it silently.

She put the paper on the piano, "It looks good, but how does it sound?"

Dave put his hands on the keys, "That's the problem."

He began to play and sing, "I told the witch doctor I was in love with you. I told the witch doctor I was in love with you. And then the witch doctor he told me what to do. He said that..." Dave tensed as he came to the part that was not sitting right with him.

"Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang Walla walla, bing bang..." Dave stopped, "See its the chorus that sounds wrong. I don't know what's missing."

Vinny nodded, "I do. You need another voice there. Your's is too deep." Vinny scooted closer to Dave, "Here lets try it with me singing the chorus, alright?"

Dave nodded and began to play and sing again. When he reached the chorus Vinny took over and a smile spread across Dave's face. Not only did it finally sound right but her voice was even more beautiful when she was singing loudly.

Dave reached the next verse and took the lead again. Vinny was enjoying herself, listing to Dave sing.

The chorus came up again and this time Dave sang with Vinny. Their voices matched up perfectly. They shared the next verse as well.

Dave finished the song and clapped his hands together, "That was perfect! You're a genius!"

Vinny blushed under her fur, "Thank you."

Dave put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes with a big smile plastered on his face, "No, thank you! Now I'll be able to pay the rent... That is if you don't mind recording this with me. I'll give you half of the money of course."

Vinny was still blushing as her green eyes locked with his light blue ones. Dave began to blush under her gaze. Dave couldn't explain it but there was feeling inside of him that lead him to do what he did next. He gently moved a stray strand of her brown hair from in front of her face and leaned forward until their faces were just an inch apart. Vinny was about to say something when Dave closed the gap and pressed his lips to her's.

She was over taken by shock at first but quickly returned the kiss.

Over the next week Dave spent a lot of time with Vinny and the boys and vice-versa. Dave had gotten Theodore to stop being shy around him and had found out that he was a very sweet young boy. Simon opened up to him and Dave brought him some books he checked out from the library on astronomy. Which to his surprise Simon was able to read with out any help.

It made Alvin happy to see Dave and his mother together, mostly because it made her happy. Though he had already gotten a few ideas on how to tease Dave.

Dave and Vinny sat together on the small porch of her tree house while the boys played tag on the last day of Autumn. Vinny smiled when Theodore manege to tag Alvin, though it looked like he might have let him.

Dave sighed as the sun began to set, "I better head back before it gets dark. I don't want to get lost again."

Vinny nodded and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before he stood up. He walked into the small clearing and knelt down and held out his arms, "Come here and give me a hug goodbye."

All three boys ran over to Dave and gave him a large group hug that nearly caused him to fall back. The four of them held on to each other for a few moments before Dave let go, "I'll see you all later alright?"

The boys nodded to Dave and ran over to their mother to head inside before it got to cold out.

Dave waved to the four of them as he walked into the tree line. Clouds had been gathering over head for the past hour and Dave had heard a blizzard was on its way so he picked up the pace and hurried home.

Two days had passed and the blizzard had yet to let up at all. Dave was very worried about Vinny and the boys.

As night set in Dave couldn't take it anymore and got dressed to go out into the snow and make sure they were alright. Just as he finished wrapping his scarf around his neck there was a quiet knock at the door.

He answered it to find Vinny standing in the snow with a small basket filled with blankets in her hands.

Dave stepped back from the door and motioned for Vinny to come in, "What are you doing out in this weather?"

Vinny set the basket down by the small stove that filled the room with heat and Dave noticed that the boys were asleep in the small wicker basket.

"I came here because this winter is far too harsh to safely raise them. There wont be enough food so the rest of the forest animals are going to move to a better part of the forest, but the boys wouldn't be able to survive the journey", Vinny sat next to the basket.

"I know it's a lot to ask but can you take care of them until the spring, when I can come back?"

Dave closed the door and walked over so that he was standing next to Vinny, "I can, but only on one condition..."

Vinny looked up at Dave with pleading eyes, "What is that?"

He knelt next to her and put his hand under her chin, "You have to stay as well..." Dave kissed Vinny on the lips quickly and pulled back.

Vinny blushed, "Are you sure, Dave?"

He nodded and sat next to, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Vinny leaned against his chest, "Thank you so much Dave."

He shook his head, "I wouldn't have it any other way." Dave laid his head on top of her's and smiled.

As Dave looked at Vinny snuggled up to him and at the boys sleeping near them he felt content, knowing that he had found himself a family.

**It feels good to get something done again. Now I can move on to something more important.**


End file.
